Friday, 18 August 2006

Technology, I’m afraid to say, is not
infallible. As much as we prefer to
think otherwise, that is the sad truth.

In fact, technology is most likely
to fail you right at that exact moment that you are counting on it the most.

How many times have you been on
the phone either waiting for someone to give you some information off the
computer, or you’re the person with the information on a computer that is oh so
reluctant to cooperate?

How many times have you been
faced with a deadline only to have your email go down, or the computer crash
and all your work disappear?

How many times has the power gone
off at just the most inopportune time possible?

How many times has the lawn mower
worked, only to quit right at the moment you plan to mow the lawn because
company is coming (or the Communities in Bloom judges)?

For that matter, how many times
has the vacuum cleaner quit as company is walking up the sidewalk?

There are umpteen different pieces
of technology that we use everyday without even thinking about it, until that
one moment when it stops working properly.

We are all going to be faced with
a technological blip at some point in time.
When it happens, may the blip be brief and create the least amount of
havoc in your life possible so that you can quickly get on with your day.

Friday, 4 August 2006

Every look you give another, every
word you speak to another, everything you do (or don’t do) to another has a
impact on that other person.

Now before you start thinking that
the world revolves around you and that you are powerful enough to change the
course of the world and history, rest assured you’re not!

In fact, most often when we are
having the most impact on others we are totally unaware of our influence.

I’m sure at some point in your
life you’ve thought a friend was mad at you (though you couldn’t figure out
why) because they ignored you in the grocery store or on the street. Then you find out that they had something on
their mind and truly had no idea you were even around.

In the same way, without you even
being aware of it, you are having a profound impact on friends, family, and
even complete strangers.

A glance at someone in a crowded
room could give a wallflower some needed confidence, and yet, you have no
memory of even seeing them. A casual
word shared at the checkout, that is overheard by a stranger further back in
the line could be exactly what that person needed to hear to give them hope to
continue on their life journey.

There is no possible way you can
know how profound an impact you have on the lives others around you. Thus, you must live so that what you do is
always encouraging people.